Less for More: Survey Results

Background

The University of Basel is committed to reducing CO₂ emissions caused by academic plane travel by at least 30% in the next few years. As part of the project “Less for more” - Air Travel at the University of Basel, the Sustainability Office in collaboration with the Center for Cognitive and Decision Sciences, (Prof. Dr. Rui Mata, BSc Nina Frings, BSc Sophia Prix, BSc Tamara Lotz) conducted a survey on the travel behavior of researchers and staff at the University of Basel.

The goal of the survey is to gain a better understanding of the travel behavior of the University of Basel’s researchers and staff and to develop measures that do not compromise excellence in science and teaching.

Key Findings

In the following section you will find five key findings from the survey. Below you can find the complete questionnaire.

1. Little awareness but strong support for the “Less for More” program

Only 153 (17%) of the total of 910 respondents indicated that they were aware of the “Less for More” program of the University of Basel and its goal of a reduction of at least 30% of flight-related carbon emissions. Regardless, the large majority of the participants (77%) said that they find the approach of asking faculties and departments to identify measures to implement the 30% reduction good to very good.

2. Perceived impact of flying less: International collaboration may suffer most

When trying to change a behavior in order to reduce CO₂ emissions, it is crucial to keep in mind that flying less can involve negative consequences. Consequently, respondents were asked about the perceived impact of flying less on their work. The aspect that was mentioned most frequently mentioned as being influenced negatively by a reduction of academic flights was “international collaboration”. Personal and institutional reputation, as well as productivity of research, quality of research and access to funding were also perceived as being negatively influenced, albeit to a lesser degree.
Noticeably, professors perceived each of the factors to be more strongly negatively impacted by flying less than other scientific staff members. suggesting that different professional categories have somewhat diverging opinions about the impact of flying less.

3. Acceptance of measures: “Zug statt Flug” and improving videoconferencing infrastucture receive most support

The general acceptance of the various proposed measures is high but two stand out: a restriction rule to prohibit the use of plane for destinations that could also be reached by train (Zug statt Flug) and further support, development and improvement of virtual conference equipment and tools. The train rule received 70% of the respondent’s approval and the support or expansion of the equipment 68%. The results suggest, neverthless, some diverging views across university members. Overall, the professors seem generally more critical of the proposed measures than other members of the university, and some of the measures are even rated negatively by the former. Administrative staff in contrast has the most positive attitude towards all measures.

4. Acceptance of the train rule: Over 40% support a >8h train rule

Of the 70% respondents who would be interested in a “train instead of flight” (“Zug statt Flug”) rule, 44% said they would be willing to forego the plane if the train journey was 8 hours or more. A further 35% of respondents stated that they would forego the plane if the destination could be reached within 6 hours.

5. Videoconferencing: Several measures needed to improve videoconferencing

Of the 70% respondents supportive of additional support, development and improvement of devices and tools in the virtual field to make it easier and more frequent to participate in virtual conferences, it can be said that all implementation ideas were welcomed. Particularly welcome are hiogh quality audio and video and the establishment of a support service.